So if you do a long training run do you take energy gels?

I only really used energy gels while on actual races. I have started to use a couple when out on longer runs with my running club at a fast pace which I keep thinking is cheating!! Does anyone actually use them for training purposes? I noticed towards the end of the run last Sunday I started to overcome fatigue a lot more....but concerned that gels could become "the norm"...

I take gels only during marathons. On my long runs I fill my bottle at the start with sport drink or fruit juice, which gives me the simple sugar that a gel provides, spread out over the hour+ it takes to drink the bottle.

For me a long run is any distance over 90 minutes. Up to that point I dont worry about hydration till I'm done [assuming I load up before starting]. When I was your age, 90" = 12 miles; nowadays it's less than 10.

If there's a water source on the course, I carry a single 16 oz bottle in a hand-holder and refill as needed; I need 16 oz an hour. If the course has no water and the run is really long, I have a dual bottle carrier that goes around my waist. But because it bounces around, I will generally only use that one on slower trail and hilly runs when I'm moving [even] slower. Never tried a camel-back -- they don't look comfortable.

I try to make my long training runs exactly like the race - that way I know how my body will react. I eat the same food the day before the long training run that I plan to eat before the race. Same with any food I eat the morning of the race, as well as hydration and and gels during the run. My body is very sensitive to some of the ingredients in different hydration fluids and gels. I stick to the brands I used during training while in the race. I made the mistake of using the gels they were handing out on the course during one race - a different brand than I was used to. I ended up throwing up and having to walk a couple of miles.

I only use gels at around mile 20 during marathons. Since my training runs only go up to 20 miles, I don't use them during training.I don't think they are necessary until you are at least doing 14+ miles, or as from what I have read you should be getting the nutrition you need from the foods you are eating. I only carry water with me on 14+ mile runs as well, using a bottle that straps to my hand.

For me, "long run" is more than 90 minutes, or about 12 miles. Unless it's hot, I don't worry about gels or hydration up to that point. If I'm running longer than that (which is rare anymore), or if it's really hot out, I'll plan my route so I can circle back to my car or house to eat an energy bar and hydrate at the halfway point.

I tend to use gels only when racing, and only if the race is longer than 90 minutes.

I really don't like the taste of gels, but consider them a necessary evil.

But to the OP: everyone's nutrition needs are different. If your body is telling you on these training runs that you need a gel, go ahead and take one!

Thanks guys. And to the poster above who was querying about water, my body seems to dehydrate a fair bit (probably due to my coffee habit) so I tend to take a water bottle out with me. Got a Karrimor oval-shaped one that I can put one of my hands through while running which is neat.

I have started to use the gels while training faster runs with my running group and we are doing more than 10 miles. Its good to know that you guys use them too. I seem to get a boost around the 7 mile mark which is pretty neat.